The present invention relates to an integrated method and system for preventing and solving problems relating to pests of any kind on a site, in a building, in a process, installation or in an area. The system involves complete digitalising and automation of all functions necessary in order to control the pests such as surveillance, registration, alarms, regulation and remedial actions as well as generating reports etc. The aim is to make the overall effort against the pests more effective by means of fully automating all processes to the furthest possible extent.
The effort against pests is necessary in that pests often pose a threat against the health and welfare of humans and livestock and may impose serious inconveniences as well as large material and cultural losses to society, households and industry.
The problems relating to pests arise especially when the pests are present in large numbers in forestry, agriculture or gardening. Especially when the pests are present in industry and institutions, in particular in the food stuff, pharmaceutical, health care or other high hygiene demanding sectors as well as in and around our houses.
The effort against pests must be effective, carried out in a systematic manner and be based on a wide spectre of experience and knowledge.
The Need for Pest Control in and Around Buildings
In a large number of establishments and institutions in sectors highly dependent on hygiene and therefore sensitive to pests, the problems of safeguarding against pests are far more complex than they are for plant crops. Besides economic consequences created by the presence of pests in items such as food, food containers, pharmaceuticals and the like, there is a serious risk of diseases being spread. In the industrialized world, pest-control is therefore a part of the statutory demands for, among others, theses lines of businesses. The purpose is to protect the population through among other things, a high degree of food safety.
This is compounded by a much greater species variation, from rodents, such as rats and mice, to thousands of various flying and crawling insects, a majority of which poses a safety risk. Feces from rats and mice may, for example, contain as much as a quarter of a million pathogenic bacteria per gram. The risk is serious, if infected foods end up on the dining table. Likewise, many of the highly mobile insects, including flies and wasps, act as carriers of pathogenic microorganisms from for example contaminated drains for food and other high-risk products.
Pollution prevention requires either the elimination of the source of pollution or the carrier, or the establishment of safe barriers between the source of pollution and sensitive products. The solution to pest problems must necessarily involve all levels of the product chain, i.e. when food is concerned, from farmers to retail stores via the processing industry, transport, storage and handling.
In many buildings, most of year or the whole year is pest season because a year-round climate, so to speak, is maintained, the easy access to food, water, as well as breeding areas is easy, and many pest species are almost omnivorous. Especially small pests will get in, in spite of all preventive measures, or they are brought in by infected deliveries coming from near or far.
Ensuring maintenance, cleanliness and tidiness, and, not least, remembering to keep a watchful eye are the key preventive elements.
Many establishments and institutions, e.g. in the food, health and nursing sectors, must adhere to stringent pest-control requirements, and are at the same time prohibited by law to use chemical pesticides indoors. Requirements regarding traceability and documentation are a key feature of intensified pest control.
Experience has shown that no preventive efforts will fully remove pest infestations, but by taking immediate action, the damage can be greatly limited.
In principle, “minute-by-minute” monitoring is needed in order to limit damages caused by pest infestation in an optimal way, whereby the need for more time-consuming and expensive remedies will be curtailed.
As with all other types of monitoring (e.g., monitoring of production processes and regarding theft and fire prevention), it is important to find means and methods that will increase the safety and unambiguity of collecting monitoring data, and that, on the other hand, will remove or minimize the need for a continuous human presence. Furthermore, when dealing with pest and hygiene control, experience has shown that the need for improving the quality of operations and the integrity of documentation required by authorities and customers is great.
An examination, analysis and evaluation of the actual situation at the site should precede any pest-control program, as should information about the location, previous pest activity, and users' preferences and requirements, objectives and critical limitations related to pest control.
In summary, in highly hygiene-dependent and pest-sensitive establishments and institutions, where problems are a lot more complex than in agriculture and gardening, effective pest control will require easy access to a broader span of professional expertise and methods, and making “zero-tolerance,” early warning and immediate relief the key elements, when preparing operations.